Local Federal Offices Not Impacted Yet by the Shutdown

As the shutdown continues, some local federal offices are operating normally including the Toccoa Social Security office and the Toccoa Post Office.

In announcing the Government Shutdown, President Donald Trump said Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid would not be affected, nor would the Postal Service.

Trump also issued an order last week for the US Department of Agriculture to fund the SNAP food supplement program through February.

Another program that is federally funded is the home heating assistance program through the Ninth District Opportunity.

Michael Fisher is the Housing and Program Planner for Ninth District.

On Wednesday, Fisher said the home heating program has not been affected by the shutdown.

“We have not. We received the bulk of our (home heating) funding before this all came to be. So, we were already included before this all took place,” he said. “We are literally seeing someone every 15 minutes; from 8:30a to 4p every single day, and that’s going to continue. The money is scaling back, but we still have resources.”

However, Fisher said the Ninth District office staff could begin to feel the pinch in their fiscal budget if the shutdown continues much longer.

“We’re definitely working from reserves right now and we hope that doesn’t continue. We’ve already been funded for the year, but we still have to work from a balance, and we take a draw on that a couple of times a year. So, if it’s not refunded by the federal government, then it gets really tricky, but as of right now we’re not impacted,” he said.

In addition to the home heating program, the Ninth District Opportunity offers other programs and services, such as Home Weatherization, Georgia Pre-K, Head-start, Housing Programs and Community Services.

Any low-income person or family needing help paying their winter heating bill can contact the Ninth District Opportunity office toll-free at: (855) 636-3108 to schedule and appointment.